Pitstop: Illuminator

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, maybe it was my incessant shower of ARMS love all over my social media sites but one day I got a follow request from Brooklyn band Illuminator. Considering that several member of the band are also a part of ARMS, it's no surprise that I checked them out.

Illuminator's music is quirky, yes but while you might not necessarily understanding everything that's going on that doesn't take away from its enjoyment value. Illuminator fuse psychedelic electronics with a larger than life grandeur. Illuminator's Answer Voice the Child is practically symphonic, with recurring themes and melodies and an elevated instrumental importance. Since three of the songs are composed of the same lyrics ("Hey Crazy (inhale)", "Hey Crazy (cough)", and "Rorschach Mucus Butterfly"), your focus is instead drawn toward the change in tempos, delivery, and arrangement. But Answer Voice the Child also has some catchy upbeat tracks with a inherant poppiness like "You Are Overgrown", and  brass-laden "Hey Crazy (inhale)". There's also more of that compositional prowess in "Message from Land" and "Message from Sea" and how they perfectly tie together. Answer Voice the Child proves that Illuminator isn't your garden variety rock band - they're creative innovators with an unrestrained vision

While complete understanding of Illuminator might very be beyond my reach (and probably tied to the secrets of the universe or something), Illuminator create music that not only is enjoyable but provokes thought and an advanced level of listening - music that grabs you from start to finish and leaves you satisfied but still wanting more. It's not your run of the mill band or record but it's certainly worth the listen.

Check out Illuminator's Answer Voice the Child on Bandcamp: